Focus innovation: OPTIMA at the Makeathon on Gran Canaria

At this year's Makeathon on Gran Canaria, Optima was present with a team and an own challenge. The exchange with young people from all over the world, creative work in mixed teams and the shared view of technical challenges made the event a special experience.

The international “SMART GREEN ISLAND MAKEATHON” took place on Gran Canaria in March. The Optima Packaging Group was there with five participants and presented its own challenge from the field of Smart Production. The aim was to promote young talent, strengthen interdisciplinary exchange and develop practical solutions for real-life tasks.

The challenge was set by the Optima Nonwovens division, which specializes in the packaging of hygiene articles. Specifically, it was about the ejection process of faulty packs from a running machine system. Packs that do not meet the quality requirements should be reliably ejected – without interfering with the production flow.

A team of international students developed a solution that is highly practical. An Arduino, a distance sensor and a pneumatic cylinder were used to enable targeted ejection using a flap. The faulty products were pushed out of the product flow. They were controlled by a solenoid valve that was activated via defined counter values. 
 

“The biggest challenge of the Makeathon is the short project time and working together in a diverse team,” says Dennis Stengelin, Mechanical Design Engineer at Optima Nonwovens. “The students solved the challenge very well. Their development offers great potential for further use and possible industrial implementation.”

The Makeathon was organized by ITQ GmbH and provided a platform for more than 300 participants from universities, start-ups and industrial companies. With its involvement, Optima is setting an example for sustainable innovation and the targeted promotion of young technical talent. 

“The Makeathon was a valuable experience for us. Our team was able to test their technical skills under real-life conditions, develop innovative ideas and collaborate with experts from various fields. Participation was also a great success in terms of HR and university marketing,” summarizes HR Manager Luisa Mebert, who organized the participation.